Eight thousand French police officers are barricading in a sprawling swarm of ‘yellow vest’ protestors who have gathered along the Champs-Elysees, Paris, in a planned demonstration against the rising cost of living. Tear gas cannisters have been fired in isolated incidents at the crowds, who insist they are there to protest peacefully, despite a string of violent protests since November. France’s Prime Minister Edouard Philippe on Tuesday suspended planned increases to fuel taxes for six months in response to the unrest.